Nine games in 26 days are what Rugby’s girls basketball squad has in front of them.

That tough stretch begins this Monday, Jan. 5 at home against Rolette-Wolford, and from there the Panthers have four District 11 games in a row.

Rugby coach Jennifer Brossart knows this month will test the mettle of her team and determine if they will be in the mix for a top half finish in the district.

“Those four district games in a row (Drake-Anamoose, Bottineau, Dunseith and Velva) will be key, and I think coming out of that stretch with a 3-1 record is doable,” Brossart said.

That is, provided Rugby can start to shooting the ball better. The team is averaging around 25 percent a game from the field, and that stat is the reason the squad has just two victories in its first seven games. Improved shooting will be critical for the squad to be competitive against the likes of Bottineau, Dunseith and Velva, three teams which are fighting for a top half finish in the district standings.

Other than the poor shooting percentage, the Panthers have made nice strides in other areas, cutting down on turnovers and playing well on the defensive end. “If we can get our shooting turned around, we’re going to see things start to go our way,” Brossart said.



T-G-U encounters tough schedule

The toughest part of Towner-Granville-Upham’s schedule begins today, Jan. 3 against three-time Class B state champion Bottineau and continues with district games against Velva, Sawyer and Westhope-Newburg over the next couple of weeks. If the Titans (3-5) could manage to win two out of those four games it would be quite an accomplishment.



Lions hope to build on good start

Minnewaukan-Leeds (5-2) will attempt to build on its good start when it hosts Valley-Edinburg in a non-district game today, Jan. 3 in Leeds. The Lions then will travel to St. John on Tuesday, Jan. 6 for a district game.

M-L is 1-1 in District 8, and the game with the Woodchucks begins a stretch of three straight conference games.



R-W looks to get on track

Rolette-Wolford is hoping a new year will usher in some improved play. The Comets (4-6) have dropped their last four games and hope to turn things around when they travel to Rugby this Monday, Jan. 5. The squad then hosts District 8 foe Langdon on Jan. 8.